2 Aurora nightclub bosses nabbed for noise

August 14, 2001|By Hal Dardick. Special to the Tribune.

The operators of two popular nightclubs in downtown Aurora were arrested early Saturday for allegedly violating a noise provision in the city liquor ordinance, leading the owners to question the city's commitment to making the area an entertainment hub.

Police Chief Larry Langston said both clubs had received repeated warnings about noise, an issue on which his department has been focusing to address quality-of-life issues.

Amid wedding and high school reunion celebrations that featured live bands, Al Heriaud, owner of the Shore Club, and Nicholas Ryan, general manager of Walter Payton's Roundhouse Complex, were handcuffed and taken to the police lockup. Each posted $75 and was released pending court appearances.

"It's a sad thing because [city officials] are trying to bring business into town," Heriaud said Monday. "They don't need to chase business out of town."

Heriaud, who called the experience humiliating, said 150 to 200 people were at his club, where a 35th class reunion for East Aurora High School graduates was taking place. Misty Water Creek, a country western band, was performing outside.

Ryan was arrested about the same time while Libido Funk, a disco band, was playing in the Roundhouse courtyard. Hundreds of people were in the courtyard, and two wedding celebrations were taking place in the building, said Roundhouse co-owner Scott Ascher.

Both establishments are less than half a mile from the Hollywood Casino.

Ascher, in a written statement the day after the incident, accused the police of "Gestapo tactics," saying one 911 call brought five squad cars and a patrol wagon. He said his general manager is not sure if he wants to come back to work and his assistant general manager plans to resign.

"I am really at a loss for understanding this," said Ascher. "Who does this benefit? Aurora spends hundreds of thousands of dollars annually to attract new business, and yet they treat existing businesses like this."

Langston said the Police Department had no intention to harm city businesses. "We have taken a stand this year to respond to citizen complaints about noise problems," he said. "It's our purpose that we apply the statutes of the state and ordinances of the city as fairly as possible."

Both cases have been referred to Aurora Mayor David Stover, who is the city liquor commissioner. Stover declined to comment.

The manager at the city's Club Bolero was arrested July 20 for violating the noise provision, Langston noted.

According to police reports, a resident who lives near Flagg Street and Lincoln Avenue, a couple of blocks from the Roundhouse, called police shortly after midnight Saturday to complain about noise. After arriving at the Roundhouse, police also heard noise from the Shore Club, the reports state.

The city liquor ordinance prohibits noise from being amplified outside liquor license-holding businesses from 10 p.m. to 10 a.m.

Heriaud and Ascher said they each received one prior warning July 15. They then contacted City Hall to try to work out a solution. Ascher said he had turned down the sound system at the Roundhouse, and Heriaud said the band playing Saturday was told to turn its system down after 10:30 p.m.

Both said they would fight the charges in court. Ascher noted his agreement with the city, which lent his business $6 million to rehabilitate the historic Roundhouse, required him to build the courtyard entertainment area.

Heriaud and Ascher also noted the city has been trying to promote downtown Aurora as an entertainment hub. "There's a breakdown here, and we have stopped working together," Heriaud said.

The Shore Club and Roundhouse are considered two main downtown attractions.

"I will guarantee you that we are doing the most volume of any business downtown after the [nearby Hollywood] Casino," Heriaud said.